A new BBC Ten Pieces to play on your Clarion!

We are so proud to be releasing brand new Clarion patterns in partnership with BBC Ten Pieces, adding to our collection which also includes Grasswalk and Magic.

Check all the BBC Ten Pieces resources for The Orchestra: A Young Person’s Guide, including video introductions to the Clarion patterns on the BBC website.  

All Clarion BBC Ten Pieces can be played using the free version of the Clarion app (version 1.32), so no paid licence is needed to get started. Upgrade to the latest version of the Clarion in the app, or download it.

The Orchestra: A Young Person’s Guide is a new work by composer Charlotte Harding, co-commissioned by the BBC and the National Open Youth Orchestra (NOYO) for its 2026 #ThisIsOurOrchestra tour. The tour culminated in a joyous performance at the BBC Proms at Bristol Beacon, alongside guest members of BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

It is now part of BBC Ten Pieces, the flagship music education programme used by schools across the UK to introduce young people to orchestral music. Explore the resource, which features NOYO’s performance of the piece and wonderful Clarion patterns to play.

Find all the Clarion patterns for the piece in the latest version of the Clarion app on iPad or Windows.

The Orchestra: A Young Person’s Guide is a bold reimagining of Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, embracing a wider range of instrumentation that reflects a more inclusive orchestra for today.

Listen out for the different sections of the orchestra – the winds, brass, percussion, strings, keys and electronics, which the Clarion is part of – and how they work together to create an exciting new orchestral sound.

Harding says “We start with ‘Particles’ which explores raw sonic energy, and all of the possibility that holds. We then look at the ‘Individuals’ that make up an orchestra: individual people, instruments and musical materials. When we bring these individuals together, the ‘Sections’ of the orchestra are then formed – winds, brass, percussion, electronics, strings and keyboards. Combinations of these sections can then create ‘Palettes’ of orchestral colours which can be used to tell stories, paint sonic pictures, or express our emotions. Finally, when we bring all of this ‘Tutti’, together, our 21st-century orchestra comes to life!”

You’ll find multiple Clarion patterns for each section of the piece, allowing Clarion players to play different parts alongside other instruments in their ensemble.

BBC Ten Pieces resources for The Orchestra: A Young Person’s Guide include:

• Lesson plans
• Arrangements for pre Grade 1, Grade 1 – 4 and Grade 5+
• An Open Score arrangement
• Open Orchestras resources
• A video introduction to the Clarion patterns
• A video of NOYO performing The Orchestra: A Young Person’s Guide at Barbican.